The Things Your Parents Never Knew
by Splinter
Summary: A Donnie and Raph fic. Told from Don's POVgasp! Young Raph convinces Don to prove his mechanical genius.


Over the last ten years, I have gotten fairly good at ignoring Raphael. My hotheaded brother's temper tantrums were almost a daily part of life. Even left alone with Raph while my sensei and remaining brothers went supply hunting, I can occupy himself well enough that he could be for the most part tuned out.

So it was that evening. Splinter had taken Michaelangelo and Leonardo on a training exercise/supply run and left me and Raphael at home. I was knelt down in front of the small coffee table trying to reassemble a radio I had found on one of my trips to the dump while Raphael watched television nearby. I was actually surprised. It had been more than an hour and Raph had yet to throw anything at the TV or swear at whatever idiotic thing one of the characters did. Once, several months ago, I had reminded Raph that the people on the television show could not see or hear him. Therefore he was wasting energy. It was then I remembered why I ignored Raphael. I should have remembered it tonight.

"That's such stupid shit."

I turned slightly. One hour. Fifteen minutes. I think that was a new record for him. I wasn't even about to say anything about his language.

Even though I didn't ask, Raphael continued like I had. "No one can hotwire a car that easy. That fast."

_*Don't say anything*_, I reminded myself going back to the radio parts.

Raph kicked me lightly. "Lookit that Donnie. Tell me that aint bullshit."

I sighed and looked up at the TV screen. Trying to ignore him now, when he was speaking directly to me would be a lost cause and I knew it. "I don't know Raphael," I sighed. "Doesn't seem all that hard." Picking up the screwdriver once again, I could just feel his gaze on me.

"Donnie--," he began.

"No Raphael," I interrupted. _*Don't make eye contact. Don't say anything else*_

"Donnie," he said again this time a bit more forcefully. "You tellin me---you could hotwire a car?"

_*Don't answer. Don't answer.*_

He kicked me again a little harder. "No way. Ok, maybe you can put shit like that together." He motioned to the radio. "Little radios and toys. No way in hell you can hotwire a car."

I tensed a little. Defensive. _Toys? I repaired half more than half of anything in the lair. Including his precious television. _ I glanced back at him. "It's not that hard, Raphael. And I do more than put TOYS together."

He grinned at me, but didn't concede or deny my point. He didn't have to. He had already gotten the reaction he wanted. "You ever hotwire a car before?"

"No. But it's electrical. It can't be too hard." I was being baited and I knew it. The thing was, I couldn't stop myself from being baited. What did I care what Raphael thought? I knew I could do it. I could do anything I set my mind to given enough time. I didn't have to prove anything to him.

"Prove it." 

Or did I? I rolled my eyes turning from him. "No Raphael. Why would I want to hotwire a car? I can't even drive. And besides. That's stealing."

"Didn't say anything 'bout stealing it. Only starting it."

I looked at him again.

"C'mon, Donnie, "he grinned. "Guy on TV could do it in under a minute."

My eyes narrowed slightly. This was stupid. I KNEW I could do it. Just because I'd never done it before didn't mean anything. 

"What if," Raph began thoughtfully. "What if one day we NEEDED you to be able to hotwire a car. Real quick. Wouldn't it be a good thing to know you could?"

Raphael? Using logic? Who was this turtle? And why couldn't I find a valid argument for that piece of reasoning?

My brother's eyes gleamed. He knew he had me. But I wasn't about to give in so easily. "I don't know Raphael. Splinter wouldn't like---"

Raph interrupted me. "Splinter wouldn't know. This could be something just me and you know about. C'mon Donnie. " He grinned. "You know you want to."

I sighed. It would be interesting. And it would be nice to know I could do it if the need ever arose. "Alright. I don't know about the under a minute thing." I stood up sweeping the parts to the radio back into the small box and sticking it under the table. By the time I had done that, Raphael had vaulted over the couch to get his coat and mine. He tossed mine to me.

"I choose the car," he said with a smirk pulling his coat on.

I watched him warily. "Why?" I zipped up my coat and followed him from our lair. And why was I doing this? If sensei came home, he was going to have our shells for a new coffee table. And that's without knowing about what we were doing. I knew it was against the rules to leave the lair while he was gone. Raph knew it too. How did I let myself get talked into this?

"Just because. Long as we're doin' this--we're gonna have some fun." He was almost at a jog.

"Fun?" I echoed. "Great." No stopping him now. At the same time, I wasn't sure I wanted to. I wasn't going to hurt anything or anyone. I wasn't planning on stealing the car. Just starting it. And besides. We were ninja. We wouldn't get caught. This was a great test of our skills. So why did my stomach feel like it was about to send my dinner back up?

Several minutes later, standing in a parking lot on the upper eastside, I just KNEW that Raphael had been thinking about something like this for awhile now. He knew exactly what car. And exactly where it was. 

The car was parked in the back row. We had waited until after the attendant had made his rounds this way before approaching the car. 

"Whoa," I breathed. I wasn't much of a car enthusiast. I mean, why drool over something you weren't likely to get? Girls didn't count But this car was NICE. It was black. Sleek and shiny. It practically shone under the moonlight. It was too dark for me to make out the model and I wasn't able to tell just from looking. 

Raph grinned. "Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Raph," I whispered. "Whose car is this?"

Raphael shrugged and pulled a small tool from his belt. He was the best at lock picking and he knelt down near the door. I grabbed his hand. "What Don?" He sounded a little agitated. "You said--"

"Alarm," I reminded him.

My brother yanked his arm back going to the lock. "Guy turns it off when he parks here. Too damn sensitive. Was always going off."

I blinked. "How in the world do you know all---"

The lock clicked and Raph grinned again. He opened the door. "After you Donnie Boy. I'll time ya."

I gave him a look, before sliding hesitantly into the car and on the floor. I heard Raph climb in behind me and close the door. He sat in the driver's seat gripping the wheel while I pulled out my tools and got to work.

"Hey Don. You ever think we'll have one of these?"

I could practically feel his excitement. I never knew Raphael had such an interest in cars. I stuck the screwdriver in my mouth and spoke around it with a laugh. "Are you planning on parking it in the sewer?"

"If I had one of these Don, I'd rather live in here than the sewer." 

I took the screwdriver from my mouth shaking my head. " I don't think we'll all fit in here, Raphael."

I heard him mutter something about the trunk and Leo before he fell silent. A few more minutes past before he spoke again. "Don, we only got about ten more minutes. Then the guard does another pass."

I didn't answer. Twist that wire. Connect these and-----

The engine turned over and I whooped in triumph.

"Under five minutes," I said. "Not bad for a first try. I told you I could do it."

He wasn't paying me any attention. His hand hesitantly when for the gear shift. And pulled it into reverse.

"No Raph!" I yelled trying to get up. My hand hit the accelerator.

"Shit!" I heard Raph cry as the car shot back. His feet pressed onto my shell pushing me to the floor and onto the pedals. The car squealed and stopped with a jolt before cutting off.

We both stayed frozen for a few seconds in shock. The only sounds were our rapid breathing and the shouts in the distance.

Raph opened the door. "C'mon Donnie. We gotta get outta here."

I scrambled from the floor and out the car. "We wrecked it."

Raph grabbed my hand and yanked me ahead of him. "Barely a scratch. Go dammit." He pushed me toward the guard rail. The shouts were getting closer. My brother and I jumped the rail and disappeared as we had been taught. Hiding in the shadows, no one saw us.

We were fairly silent as we walked through the sewers towards home. It wasn't until we were just outside our door that I paused. "What if they're home?"

Raph glanced at the door and then to me shrugging. "We'll get busted for leaving."

"What about the car?" I asked slowly.

My brother sighed looking down for a second. "That's up to you." He pushed the door open and walked in. No one was home.

**Ever have one of those stories from when you were young? Those stories of idiotic things you did that somehow, someway, your parents never found out about? I was only thirteen at the time. Ten years later, I have yet to get the nerve to tell my sensei the truth. Maybe one day I will….maybe not.**

Donatello


End file.
